Coco Guaff ends French wildcard Loïs Boisson's shock run to set up Aryna Sabalenka showdown
US tennis player Coco Gauff has reached her second final at Roland-Garros by beating Loïs Boisson 6-1 6-2 to end the surprising, upset-filled run by a French wildcard entry who is ranked No.361.
The victory by World No.2 Gauff sets up a blockbuster championship match against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.
Sabalenka is a three-time major champion and earned a shot at a fourth by ending Iga Swiatek's 26-match French Open winning streak.
Sabalenka's 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-0 win in Thursday's semi-finals prevents Swiatek from becoming the first woman to win four consecutive championships in Paris.
This will be just the second No.1 v. No.2 women's final at the French Open in the last 30 years.
It's also a rematch of the 2023 US Open final, in which Gauff beat Sabalenka to claim her first major trophy at age 19. Gauff was runner-up to Swiatek at Roland-Garros in 2022.
Boisson had sent shockwaves around Roland Garros by becoming the first wildcard to reach the semi-finals.
The 22-year-old from Dijon proved she could cut the mustard, having knocked out third seed Jessica Pegula and sixth-ranked Mirra Andreeva. But Gauff subdued the Paris crowd with a composed victory in one hour and nine minutes.
'Congratulations to her on an incredible tournament,' Gauff said, 'but today just happened to be my day'.
Earlier, Sabalenka's power had proved too much for Swiatek, who was looking to become the first female player in the Open era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris.
'Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I'm just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere,' Sabalenka said.
'She's the toughest opponent, especially on clay, especially at Roland Garros. It was a tough match, it was a tricky match, but I managed.'
Sabalenka, in her second French open semi-final and seeking her first title in Paris, powered into a 3-0 lead, twice breaking the Pole.
Swiatek, who has not won a title this year but reached the semi-finals dropping just one set in five matches, looked completely out of sorts.
With seven unforced errors in the first three games, she was playing catchup from the start.
The Pole, who late last year accepted a one-month doping ban, struggled with her serve and had racked up two double faults by the fifth game.
She gradually, however, found her range and precision, countering Sabalenka's raw power with superb ball placement and levelled when her opponent double-faulted on break point.
The Belarusian was furious, angrily shouting to her team in the box, before overrunning her opponent in the tie-break.
The pair traded breaks at the start of the second set before Swiatek earned another to level the match.
But Sabalenka again broke the 24-year-old world No.5 at the start of the third to take control and she powered through the decider as the Pole ran out of steam.
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Aussie Leishman on right track for US Open date
Marc Leishman appears to be finding form at the right time with his US Open date on the horizon. The Australian shot a four-under 67 at LIV Golf Virginia in Gainesville on Friday to trail leaders Bryson DeChambeau and Germany's Martin Kaymer by one stroke after the opening round. Leishman is in good knick after coming through qualifying at nearby Rockville by obtaining one of four slots available for next week's Open at Oakmont Country Club. Tied for third, Leishman went on a birdie blitz on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes before making another on the 10th at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Bogeys on the 12th and 15th stymied his progress before he rebounded with closing birdies on 17 and 18. Like Leishman, DeChambeau is also in good shape before the defence of his US Open title. He chipped in for an eagle and a birdie on his way to his 66 and shot up the leaderboard after a brief weather delay, eagling the par-5 14th and birdieing each of the next two holes. His chip at No.14 was a soft placement next to a slope, and his ball rolled from right to left right into the cup. At the par-4 16th, he missed the green and chopped his third shot out of some thick rough, only to watch his ball head straight to the pin and disappear again. "Man, what's nice is coming out into some soft conditions," DeChambeau said. "That little chip shot became a hell of a lot easier for me. So I just chipped it out to the right exactly what I saw. I don't know if you saw, but I was studying it before I left. "I was like this looks perfect, came out, still looks perfect, hit it exactly where I wanted it to land, and it went right in the frickin' hole." Leishman is tied for third with Phil Mickelson, who may play in his final US Open next week. Also on the same number are Spain's Jon Rahm, searching for his third career major win, Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who received the USGA's first special invite based on LIV performance, Indian Anirban Lahiri and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. RangeGoats GC teammates Bubba Watson and Peter Uihlein are tied at three under with Patrick Reed and Belgium's Thomas Pieters, both of 4Aces. Australian Cameron Smith is at one under while compatriots Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones are both at four over. RangeGoats lead the team competition at nine under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau's team, Crushers GC. Marc Leishman appears to be finding form at the right time with his US Open date on the horizon. The Australian shot a four-under 67 at LIV Golf Virginia in Gainesville on Friday to trail leaders Bryson DeChambeau and Germany's Martin Kaymer by one stroke after the opening round. Leishman is in good knick after coming through qualifying at nearby Rockville by obtaining one of four slots available for next week's Open at Oakmont Country Club. Tied for third, Leishman went on a birdie blitz on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes before making another on the 10th at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Bogeys on the 12th and 15th stymied his progress before he rebounded with closing birdies on 17 and 18. Like Leishman, DeChambeau is also in good shape before the defence of his US Open title. He chipped in for an eagle and a birdie on his way to his 66 and shot up the leaderboard after a brief weather delay, eagling the par-5 14th and birdieing each of the next two holes. His chip at No.14 was a soft placement next to a slope, and his ball rolled from right to left right into the cup. At the par-4 16th, he missed the green and chopped his third shot out of some thick rough, only to watch his ball head straight to the pin and disappear again. "Man, what's nice is coming out into some soft conditions," DeChambeau said. "That little chip shot became a hell of a lot easier for me. So I just chipped it out to the right exactly what I saw. I don't know if you saw, but I was studying it before I left. "I was like this looks perfect, came out, still looks perfect, hit it exactly where I wanted it to land, and it went right in the frickin' hole." Leishman is tied for third with Phil Mickelson, who may play in his final US Open next week. Also on the same number are Spain's Jon Rahm, searching for his third career major win, Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who received the USGA's first special invite based on LIV performance, Indian Anirban Lahiri and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. RangeGoats GC teammates Bubba Watson and Peter Uihlein are tied at three under with Patrick Reed and Belgium's Thomas Pieters, both of 4Aces. Australian Cameron Smith is at one under while compatriots Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones are both at four over. RangeGoats lead the team competition at nine under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau's team, Crushers GC. Marc Leishman appears to be finding form at the right time with his US Open date on the horizon. The Australian shot a four-under 67 at LIV Golf Virginia in Gainesville on Friday to trail leaders Bryson DeChambeau and Germany's Martin Kaymer by one stroke after the opening round. Leishman is in good knick after coming through qualifying at nearby Rockville by obtaining one of four slots available for next week's Open at Oakmont Country Club. Tied for third, Leishman went on a birdie blitz on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes before making another on the 10th at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Bogeys on the 12th and 15th stymied his progress before he rebounded with closing birdies on 17 and 18. Like Leishman, DeChambeau is also in good shape before the defence of his US Open title. He chipped in for an eagle and a birdie on his way to his 66 and shot up the leaderboard after a brief weather delay, eagling the par-5 14th and birdieing each of the next two holes. His chip at No.14 was a soft placement next to a slope, and his ball rolled from right to left right into the cup. At the par-4 16th, he missed the green and chopped his third shot out of some thick rough, only to watch his ball head straight to the pin and disappear again. "Man, what's nice is coming out into some soft conditions," DeChambeau said. "That little chip shot became a hell of a lot easier for me. So I just chipped it out to the right exactly what I saw. I don't know if you saw, but I was studying it before I left. "I was like this looks perfect, came out, still looks perfect, hit it exactly where I wanted it to land, and it went right in the frickin' hole." Leishman is tied for third with Phil Mickelson, who may play in his final US Open next week. Also on the same number are Spain's Jon Rahm, searching for his third career major win, Chilean Joaquin Niemann, who received the USGA's first special invite based on LIV performance, Indian Anirban Lahiri and Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell. RangeGoats GC teammates Bubba Watson and Peter Uihlein are tied at three under with Patrick Reed and Belgium's Thomas Pieters, both of 4Aces. Australian Cameron Smith is at one under while compatriots Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones are both at four over. RangeGoats lead the team competition at nine under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau's team, Crushers GC. Marc Leishman appears to be finding form at the right time with his US Open date on the horizon. The Australian shot a four-under 67 at LIV Golf Virginia in Gainesville on Friday to trail leaders Bryson DeChambeau and Germany's Martin Kaymer by one stroke after the opening round. 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McIlroy misses the cut before US Open, Champ leads
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"Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee." Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. "It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday." The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed. "I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said. Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title. "I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes." Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65). Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65). None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut. Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open. McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies. "Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. "Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't." At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. "Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee." Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. "It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday." The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed. "I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said. Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title. "I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes." Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65). Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65). None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut. Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open. McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies. "Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. "Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't." At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. "Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee." Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. "It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday." The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed. "I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said. Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title. "I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes." Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65). Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65). None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut. Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open. McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies. "Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. "Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't." At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. "Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee." Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey. "It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday." The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed. "I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said. Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title. "I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes." Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65). Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65). None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut.
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Sinner embraces burgeoning rivalry with Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era. And the world No.1 believes it is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th grand slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies. The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth grand slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet. With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis's Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz. "It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner told reporters. "For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know." Sunday's clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title. Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray. "At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic added. "But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs." Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport. "He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better. "In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis." Sinner extended his winning streak in grand slams to 20 matches, after winning the US Open and the Australian Open. In the earlier semi-final, Alcaraz led 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when the eighth-seeded Italian retired with a leg injury. Alcaraz is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century, after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten. Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to advance. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final." Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era. And the world No.1 believes it is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th grand slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies. The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth grand slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet. With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis's Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz. "It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner told reporters. "For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know." Sunday's clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title. Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray. "At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic added. "But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs." Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport. "He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better. "In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis." Sinner extended his winning streak in grand slams to 20 matches, after winning the US Open and the Australian Open. In the earlier semi-final, Alcaraz led 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when the eighth-seeded Italian retired with a leg injury. Alcaraz is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century, after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten. Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to advance. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final." Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era. And the world No.1 believes it is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th grand slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies. The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth grand slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet. With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis's Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz. "It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner told reporters. "For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know." Sunday's clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title. Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray. "At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic added. "But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs." Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport. "He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better. "In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis." Sinner extended his winning streak in grand slams to 20 matches, after winning the US Open and the Australian Open. In the earlier semi-final, Alcaraz led 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when the eighth-seeded Italian retired with a leg injury. Alcaraz is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century, after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten. Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to advance. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final." Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era. And the world No.1 believes it is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th grand slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies. The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth grand slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet. With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis's Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz. "It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner told reporters. "For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know." Sunday's clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title. Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray. "At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic added. "But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs." Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport. "He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better. "In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis." Sinner extended his winning streak in grand slams to 20 matches, after winning the US Open and the Australian Open. In the earlier semi-final, Alcaraz led 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when the eighth-seeded Italian retired with a leg injury. Alcaraz is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century, after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten. Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to advance. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final."
